Barbarian in a Failed Game

『That is not a difficult task.』

Thank goodness, Khan thought. He had been worried Esperus might come up with some convoluted reason to hold him back. Despite Esperus’s helpful demeanor, trusting a being of his nature completely was still a risk.

Khan let out a sigh of relief internally.

“Can it be done right away?”

『Oh, aren’t you going to say farewell to your companions? I thought you might want to take them to Midland with you.』

“…Tsk. Typical demon behavior.”

『Pardon?』

Pretending not to understand with that smug face only made it worse. Esperus’s face was an exact replica of Karyan’s, which made Khan’s fist twitch.

“Sure, bringing them along would be useful. While they’re considered mediocre here unless they’re high-ranking generals, in Midland, they’d be quite the formidable force.”

They could easily replace a couple of elite knight orders. Kurtank, with her exceptional charm abilities, would be particularly valuable and highly adaptable in Midland’s tricky landscape.

But…

“Those creatures can’t survive outside the Blood Domain, can they?”

Esperus still wore a puzzled expression, but Khan could see that he was surprised. Perhaps he hadn’t expected Khan to figure it out. The clues were abundant.

“There were no demonkins in the ancient battlefield. I’d never heard of such beings serving under demons before. And, strangely, they resemble humans.”

『…Haha. I’m continually impressed by your sharp insight. Yes, they were created to test the potential of humanity. Or rather, it’s strange to say ‘created’… they were always human.』

“The ancient humans. You revived the humans who died on that battlefield as demons, didn’t you?”

『Indeed. I wanted to see if they held the same potential as Karyan.』

Khan had already confirmed that ancient imperial humans were incredibly powerful. If they were used as materials to create demonkins, it explained why demonins were generally stronger than humans.

『The experiment is meaningless now, so if you wish, I can send them with you. I can even create new bodies for them, making them more useful than they are now.』

“No. I’m going alone.”

Esperus’s gaze lingered on Khan, searching, but Khan was resolute. He wasn’t an exploitative boss willing to drag those caught up in this mess any further. Besides…

“That law you mentioned wouldn’t take kindly to it, I suppose.”

『Hahaha…! So true, isn’t it?』

“Let’s cut the small talk.”

Hell must remain as hell. Having hell’s creatures freely roaming in Midland wouldn’t necessarily break the game’s immersion, but turning demon-like beings into the protagonist’s allies would be a different story altogether.

‘It’s clear. There will be some sort of backlash.’

Until he was certain he could confront and defeat the “will” of the world, openly defying it wasn’t a good idea. Even though Esperus mentioned that it lacked self-awareness, there was no harm in being cautious.

『Then, I’ll send you off now… Ah! But before that, I have one more question.』

“What is it?”

『Karyan. What happened to him?』

This time, Khan stared at Esperus thoughtfully. Considering Esperus created his body based on Karyan’s genetic information, perhaps he was curious about his “father”.

These pointless musings crossed Khan’s mind briefly. What am I thinking?

“You can see it, can’t you? The stigmata within me.”

『… Yes, I can see it. But I wanted to hear it confirmed.』

“He became a God, sealing a monster from the Void. He formed a prison in his domain and has been stuck there for a long time.”

『As I thought.』

Despite expecting this answer, Esperus sighed in disbelief, his reaction sincere.

『To think that great mortal ended up shackling himself. Isn’t it cruel? This is how the law maintains the world.』

“Well… It does suck. But he didn’t seem particularly regretful about it.”

『Before I send you off, I’d like to give you one piece of advice.』

With a wave of his hand, Esperus tore open the empty space, revealing a dimensional rift. Khan restrained himself from leaping through immediately, waiting for Esperus’s final words.

『Never achieve transcendence.』

For the first time, Esperus’s expression turned serious, warning Khan against shackling himself like Karyan.

『One day, the world will push you towards transcendence. It will create situations where you have no choice, or tempt you with immense power as a reward.』

“Transcendence…?”

『Whether you’re unaware or in denial, I can’t diagnose your state precisely. But from what I see, you’re on the boundary. Between transcendence and mortality. Somewhere in between.』

Khan’s gaze naturally shifted to the experience bar stuck at 39 99%, then back to Esperus. The thought of achieving transcendence through the chaos within him loomed large.

‘Damn it…’

Had his unconscious choice of the ash-gray over chaos been influenced by this?

Like Karyan and Mortalia who reached transcendence by controlling chaos, the closer he got to his inner chaos, the closer he approached transcendence? If so, he couldn’t expect any more growth in levels or skills, not unless he transcended as the “will” desired.

‘An outright threat, huh. That’s what this is.’

Facing increasingly fierce calamities, a character at level 39 would be no more than a minor player. With only one S-rank skill, it was practically a death sentence. Normally, one should have at least four or five such skills.

“Thanks for the advice.”

What else could he do? He’d have to make the most of what he had. He now had a power that could contend with transcendents; he just needed to find a way to develop it further. Shaking off his thoughts, Khan prepared to throw himself into the rift, but Esperus’s voice stopped him.

『Of course, I didn’t plan to end with just advice. It occurred to me that I hadn’t rewarded you for your help.』

A reward?

A reward from the Scion of the Arch Demon himself? That would make any gamer’s eyes light up. Khan began to turn back, but before he could, the rift’s suction force pulled him in.

『And when sending off a sibling, it’s only polite to give a parting gift, according to Midland’s customs.』

“A sibling? What kind of bullsh—”

『Check your gift when you return. And… It’s a complicated process to shift dimensions, and given your unstable state, I hope you understand if there are any minor mishaps. Farewell, hyungnim.』

“Wait, what? You should have mentioned that earlier, you—! And what’s with this hyungnim—”

Khan’s frantic outburst was swallowed up by the rift’s suction. Esperus laughed as he stood alone in the domain, which was once filled with their conversation.

“Sharing the same blood and parent makes us siblings, doesn’t it?”

His face was now covered by the black egg-like symbol that represented Yoro, and the powerful presence typical of a transcendent had long vanished.

Ssssshh…

The domain was also dissolving naturally.

It wasn’t disappearing entirely. The Blood Domain itself was his domain. He was merely dismantling the temporary domain he had created for his resurrection.

“Hmm?”

“Ugh! What’s happening now?!”

“……”

Time, which had been halted, resumed its flow.

“Are we back outside?”

“Boss! I can’t see the boss!”

“Looks like he’s gone back home.”

The self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings—now truly the Four Heavenly Kings of the Blood Domain—awoke. Watching them, Esperus smiled faintly from within the black egg.

‘If anyone can break the shackles that bind the dimensions, it might be you. Though you’ll face many trials…’

The gift he had given would surely be of great help.

“Everyone.”

And to these three as well.

“Yo, ro?”

“…Tch. Foolish Tulkan. Are you still pretending not to know?”

“Esperus….”

Seeing Tulkan, Vess, and Kurtank eye him warily, Esperus smiled gently before making his offer.

“I’m giving you an opportunity.”

An offer that would turn their lives upside down.

“Not just to be called the Four Heavenly Kings in name only, but to truly become the Four Heavenly Kings who can support Khan to the end.”

Since losing all his demonic followers in the ancient war, Esperus was now welcoming new subordinates into his fold.

***

This was the first time Khan experienced a dimensional transfer with his memory intact.

‘No, that’s not right. If I count the time I possessed Midland and crossed into Hell, this is technically the third time.’

Correction: the first time he remembered a dimensional transfer clearly, and it was surprisingly comfortable and peaceful.

Despite Esperus’s warnings about the instability of the rift potentially causing an accident, it felt like riding in a high-end limousine. Apart from his senses being completely numb, he could almost fall asleep.

‘But… when will this end?’

The problem was that his sense of time was completely distorted. Honestly, if this had happened before, he might have gone crazy from boredom. Luckily, he wasn’t alone, thanks to an unwelcome but talkative companion.

『Arrogant fool. Do you know how many young dragons wished to converse with me even once?』

‘So what. If I’d known it’d be like this, I would’ve preferred not remembering….’

『Haha. Well, had that been the case, it would have been quite dangerous, wouldn’t it? Considering how much you’ve benefited from me.』

‘Tsk.’

『You’re not honest with yourself.』

Even if the words were true, admitting it was a different matter. Khan knew this entity was quite formidable in life, but to him, it was just a nasty lizard with a bad attitude. Plus, it was creepy.

‘By the way, you haven’t asked me to help you get your body back. Tilly shredded your soul, didn’t she? Technically, you’re a half-soul now.’

『I have no desire to do anything about it. If anything, I’d like to take revenge on those insolent whelps who put me in this state. But left to their own devices, they’re all as good as dead. Or rather, they’re probably already dead.』

‘Is that so?’

『Yes.』

An awkward silence followed.

Being in a position where he was forced to share his innermost thoughts with Spirit of Resentment, Khan felt strange when the entity opened up for the first time. It seemed Spirit of Resentment felt the same way, as an awkward sentiment seeped through their mental connection.

Then, Khan sighed. What was he even doing…?

‘If you want, I could help you find your other half. Maybe even find a new body for you instead of being stuck as a sword. Something will come up if we look.’

Considering the time he had spent with Spirit of Resentment, it was quite a long time, even compared to his other comrades. Despite being a sneaky bastard, he had saved Khan’s life several times as he claimed….

『I don’t need a new body. Instead, I’d like to have a conversation with that insolent Drake who you seem so fond of. There’s something I need to confirm.』

‘Tilly? That’s not an unreasonable request….’

It was unsettling. Before regaining his memories, spirit of Resentment had seemed terrified of Tilly. But now, with most of his memories back, who knew how he would react?

Though the emotions sensed from their mental connection weren’t hostile, their relationship hadn’t been great either. Why exactly did he want to meet Tilly? Just as Khan was about to probe further—

Whoosh!

The rift’s suction suddenly restored his senses, and a flood of information hit his brain, causing a momentary dizziness.

Khan quickly adapted in seconds, but—

“What the hell is this….”

He muttered, rubbing his forehead at the dizzying sight before him.

“People who have a weird fetish for furry creatures would go crazy over this.”

“A giant human!”

“Is the flank breached?!”

“He fell from the sky! A mage! Kill him!”

It seemed he had dropped into the territory of the beastmen amidst their war with the Empire.

‘Damn Esperus… This is more than a minor accident.’